Can we talk about gas for a moment?

"itschrome" (itschrome)
07/16/2014 at 22:21 • Filed to: None

So Lately I've been trying a lot of different brands to find the once my car performs the best on. I run 93 in my car and I swear the difference between brands is actually noticeable tank to tank. I commute the same way to and from work 30 miles each way every day, mixed city and highway. I don't mess about much and never really go over the speed limit more then 5 to 6 mph. Basically I'm a very consistent driver.

SO far I can say Hess is some one the worst gas I can run. I averaged only 20.1 MPG over a tank. My car also tends to feel sluggish on this. Next up is what ever shitty brand they run at the local delta sonic car wash, not wonder they give me $0.15 of each gallon. It's crap. I averaged 21.4 and 22.1 with both the tanks I ran. kwik fill gave me 23.2, not awful we're getting better. Sunoco has given me 24.7, 25.1, 25.2. this seems pretty good and consistent. Mobil returned 25.9 and 26.2. this is so far the best gas standard E10 gas I have found. How ever this past week I found an Ethanol free gas station and so far obver the course of the 180 miles I have drive I have averaged 27.9MPG!

needless to say I'm sticking to the pure stuff from now on out! I didn't even know I could still buy non-E10 gas. I realize I'm nit picking over just a few miles, but hell running a damn near 4000lb car with a v8 i'll take what I can get.

SO what about you guys? do you have a brand or does it not seem to matter for you? when I ran 87 in my last car it all seemed about the same. I think running 93 I'm finding theres more variables in the blends or something. I dunno kind of would think it's all the same guess not though.

DISCUSSION (26)

phenotyp > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:26

What are you driving?

daender > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:28

I'll usually run Shell and whatever military bases import for their gas stations (cheaper-than-local gas, ftw). Combined with my driving style, I'm returning 2-3 more mpg than Mazda says I should expect from my Miata.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:29

Shell 98 RON because it's the closest to my house and my work. I think it's equivalent to 93-94 AKI

I get somewhere around 30MPG. It really doesn't like running on 95 RON at all.

Soloburrito > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:31

Shell 93

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:32

Even normal 87 octane for my Civic I can tell a difference.

Using Murphy USA (Walmart gas stations) averaged me about 21.5

Racetrack gas which was the same price gives me around 24 mpg.

The Murphy gas also made my car feel really sluggish. So yes, I say it does matter.

dogisbadob > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
07/16/2014 at 22:32

I heard you guys don't even get 91 RON over there (87 US), which is what most people use over here.

itschrome > phenotyp
07/16/2014 at 22:33

'04 Seville SLS

Textured Soy Protein > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:33

Some facts for you:

1. The only real difference between different brands of gas, is different kinds of detergent additives .

2. Ethanol-free gas instead of E10 will give you better mileage than E10, because gasoline has a higher specific energy than ethanol.

3. Running premium unleaded if your car doesn't require it, gives no benefit in itself. Every car has a minimum required octane rating it needs to avoid engine knocking. If your car only needs regular to avoid knocking, then premium just empties your wallet more quickly. Your car only needs regular .

If the only kind of ethanol-free gas you can find is premium, then you will see a difference in mileage over regular. But that's because of the ethanol, not the octane rating.

itschrome > daender
07/16/2014 at 22:33

I hear good things about shell but we don't have them this far north.

Mike > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:35

Speedway and BP are generally my go-to's just for the sake of convenience. I've got no real control gas to go off of, but I know my Civic gets about 10MPG more than it logically should, especially considering that it's effectively an Si with a slushbox. (Weird previous owner dropped a K20Z3 in a standard EX-L Coupe.)

dogisbadob > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:35

The difference could very well be just due to ethanol. Some have none, some have 10%, and everything in between.

itschrome > Textured Soy Protein
07/16/2014 at 22:36

my car requires it.. hence why I run it. and yeah I'm aware that Ethanol has 33% less energy than normal gas. I'm also aware that the only difference you should see in gas is the blend of detergents. but the proof is in the pudding. when i ran regular in cars that run on it, no difference hardly at all. How ever in the current car that needs premium it's worlds difference between then. Frankly it's annoying..

Textured Soy Protein > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:38

Pretty sure your car doesn't need premium .

phenotyp > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:38

Ah, of course.

I'm trying to figure out the V8 mileage thing, too. I've never had a car where anything but price made any difference.

Whole new world, for me.

itschrome > Textured Soy Protein
07/16/2014 at 22:40

funny my manual says it does. You CAN run it on 87 but it will perform like shit, get awful MPG and get noisy. starts to sound like a Honda after a while. which is all noted in the manual.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > dogisbadob
07/16/2014 at 22:41

nah I think Shell and BP still have it, they'll nearly all be E10 though.

Big Bubba Ray > Soloburrito
07/16/2014 at 22:43

This is my favorite gas. Used Shell 87 in my Baja Bug for a while and it ran terribly. Put a few tanks of 93 in and it suddenly woke up.

Textured Soy Protein > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 22:45

I mean, it's entirely possible your manual says premium and there's a glitch on the EPA site. Who knows?

itschrome > Textured Soy Protein
07/16/2014 at 22:49

or they tested with base gas and yes it will run on it. you can def run with it, if you're not really into taking care of your car. How ever I'd rather keep it in shape and give it what makes it run the best. This is my 4th 4th\5th gen Seville. trust me dude, these cars run much better on premium. not here to fight this with ya, so

Kinja'd!!!

and go give your car less than optimum maintenance and up keep. probably run cheap tires too don't ya..

Textured Soy Protein > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 23:11

I'm not trying to argue with you either. I looked up an '04 SLS on fueleconomy.gov and it said regular. That's all.

I've had 3 cars that needed premium. I filled them up with premium. And they're all listed as requiring premium on the EPA site.

Since you brought up your owners' manual, I found a copy online , and it says the following:

Gasoline Octane

Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of 87 or higher. However, for best performance and for trailer towing, you may wish to use middle grade or premium unleaded gasoline. If the octane is less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this occurs, use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might damage your engine.

So like I said before I looked up the manual, it's entirely possible your manual says something different than the EPA site.

(but you might want to try mid grade if you haven't already)

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Textured Soy Protein
07/16/2014 at 23:19

re: #3) this is only sort of true these days, especially if you have a higher powered (not even specifically a performance) vehicle. My FieSTa runs fine on 87. It even gets pretty ok fuel economy on it. BUT with the magic of direct injection, distributor less ignition, and a widely variable boost controller on the turbo, it returns more power and efficiency. There's no "premium unleaded only" tags or stickers anywhere on the FieSTa, like on a BMW, so it doesn't need premium and gains no benefit from running it, you say? Hardly. It runs just fine on regular, but it runs BETTER on 93, and it loves non-ethanol 91. many modern cars are like this, with enough flexibility to run just fine on regular, but extract more performance from higher octane fuel when its present.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > itschrome
07/16/2014 at 23:27

Wow. I thought those were only supposed to get 25 highway on a good day with a tail wind. I've been managing 31mpg highway in my younger cousin to your car: 2000 LeSabre Limited, but that's running regular unleaded with a V6.

Textured Soy Protein > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
07/16/2014 at 23:33

Yeah I guess I should clarify that some cars don't require premium but do carry manufacturer recommendations for higher octane for best performance. For example your Fiesta ST's owners manual says "premium fuel will provide improved performance."

Soloburrito > Big Bubba Ray
07/17/2014 at 00:28

Yup. My Tacoma would throw CELs with anything but Shell 93 for some reason.

Big Bubba Ray > Soloburrito
07/17/2014 at 00:40

That's strange. Those don't require 93, do they?

Soloburrito > Big Bubba Ray
07/17/2014 at 02:45

Definitely not.

I had to feed it injector cleaner every couple of fill-ups on pump gas to clear the CEL. Decided to try premium for awhile and noticed the CEL hadn't come back. Went back to 87 and sure enough CEL came back. Back to premium and never saw another CEL again. This was with over 120k miles. Didn't change anything else.